The Art of Life (84 page)

               
Snapping
his fingers, Jeremy sighs, “Damn.”

               
“The
coffee should be done soon,” I moan, turning around.

               
Jeremy
comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.
 
“It was nice to wake up to you this morning.”

               
“Obviously,”
I giggle.

               
“Oh
jeepers,” Jeremy moans back.
 
“This is
going to be funny all day isn’t it?”

               
Nodding
my head, I reply, “Pretty much.”
 
Suddenly, he starts biting my neck and it tickles.
 
“Stop it!” I squeal.

               
“Never!”
He shouts, going on to tickle my sides.
 
I twist to get out of his grasp, but just end
up on the floor.
 
Jeremy sits on top of
me.
 
“Are we going to stop bringing up my
awkwardness this morning?”

               
“Talking
about bringing it up,” I shriek, because he tickles me more.
 
After a few seconds, I finally yell, “I give,
I
give, no more!”

               
He
stops and looks down at me.
 
“I will
always win.”

               
“Yeah,
yeah, yeah,” I retort.
 
“Now get off of
me.”

               
Standing
up, Jeremy extends his hand out and I take it.
 
“What do you want to do today?” He asks.

               
“I
have no idea.
 
Do you have anything in
mind?”

               
“I
want to spend the day with you and I want to get some warmer clothes for
winter, so you and I shall go shopping.
 
No Cassandra this time,” he states.

               
“Shopping
for you sounds fun,” I comment.
 
“See you
dressed all sexy.”

               
That
makes Jeremy raise an eyebrow.
 
“Have me
dress all what?”

               
My
cheeks light on fire, “I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”

               
“
Mmhmm
,” he hums in reply.
 
“I know my sexual animalistic pull is strong.”

               
“Yes,
it fills my nights with the most tantalizing dreams,” I sigh sarcastically.

               
Jeremy
chimes, “Really?”

               
“No,”
I reply, trying not to laugh.

               
We
have our coffee and then get ready.
 
Jeremy makes me drive, which isn’t nerve racking like it usually
is.
 
I am pretty comfortable doing
it.
 
I even park the car with no
problem.
 
“You are getting better,” he
points out.

               
“I
know,” I say, “I am so proud of myself.”

               
He
smiles and takes my hand.
 
We walk in and
the mall is actually busy.
 
It is a
Sunday afternoon after all.
 
The first
thing we do is go to the guy’s store.
 
I
wander around behind Jeremy as he looks at stuff.
 
I grin and pick up a shirt.
 
“I like this one.”
 
It is a dark purple button up.

               
“I
agree, it’s a nice color,” Jeremy replies.
 
“Pick out my size.”

               
We
go through the clothes and I pick out a few sweaters.
 
I do have to say they are all fitted and will
show off his body nicely.
 
Bonus for me,
okay, I really need to stop thinking that.
 
I mean, it’s alright if I admire, right?
 
He tries on some of the shirts, but being the typical guy, he just
stands there with the fitting room door open.
 
So, I am FORCED to watch him take his shirts on and off.
 
Sigh, this is such a hard job.

               
Finally,
Jeremy seems content on what we bought.
 
I made him buy an awesome pair of pin striped pants that looked great on
him.
 
As we are walking through the mall,
I suddenly stop at a window.
 
“Those are
so pretty!”

               
Jeremy
stops next to me, and says, “The pajamas?”

               
“Yeah,
oh
my gosh
, it looks like a kimono, sort of.
 
It’s like something you would see on TV, very
pretty.”

               
“Well
then, come on.”
 
Jeremy grabs my hand and
pulls me into the store, and it’s the lingerie store…..should be
interesting.
 
When we get to the pajamas,
I look through the racks.
 
“These are all
so pretty.
 
Very sexy and adult like, not
like the flannel pajamas I usually wear.”

               
“Get
what you want Isabelle,” Jeremy replies.
 
“You don’t have to wear flannel pajamas if you don’t want to.”

               
Getting
a little bit daring, I say, “Really?
 
I
can wear something more adult?”

               
“You
can wear whatever you want, I don’t mind,” Jeremy replies, not even looking at
me.

               
I
pick up something off a rack and turn around, holding it against me.
 
“Well then, what about this?
 
Would you rather me sleep in this at night?”

               
Turning
to look at me, Jeremy’s eyes bulge out of his head.
 
“Isabelle,” is all that he can say.

               
“What?”
I chirp.
 
“You were the one who said you
wouldn’t mind me walking around in my bra and
underwear,
I don’t see how this is much different.”
 
I walk over to him with the lace nightie.
 
“I mean, would this cause a….problem….for
you?
 
I wouldn’t want you to feel
suddenly….,” and I emphasize, “AWKWARD.”

               
Jeremy
looks me dead in the eyes.
 
There is a
hint of hesitation, and then he says, “Why do you think it would be awkward?”

               
Sighing
dramatically, I say, “I guess it wouldn’t be.
 
I should have known better than to think you would have the same
reaction as if other girls were wearing it.”
 
The look on Jeremy’s face is priceless.
 
“What?” I ask.
 
“Am I wrong?”

               
Unable
to meet my gaze, Jeremy looks at the ground.
 
“I…..” he starts, “I need to walk away.”
 
With that he turns and does exactly that.

               
My
jaw hits the floor.
 
I quickly put the
nightie back and dart after him.
 
“Jeremy!” I yell, when I get near him.
 
“Stop.”
 
I grab his arm and pull him to a stop.
 
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

               
He
turns and looks at me.
 
“It’s not
that.
 
I just.
 
What am I supposed to say to you?
 
What would be inappropriate?
 
I mean, we joke around, but if I said……I just
can’t….fine, yes, you would look hot as hell in that, and probably make a whole
lot of thoughts run through my head, but is that wrong?”

               
I
stand there staring at him.
 
Finally, I
whisper, “No, I don’t think it would be wrong.
 
I say you are sexy all the time.
 
You know I see you that way, but I would never do anything…..” Crap, yes
I would and have.
 
“Let’s just drop the
subject okay. I will get normal pajamas and we will stop talking about
lingerie.”

               
He
opens his mouth and the closes it.
 
“Alright,” he finally sighs.
 
“Pick out what you want.”

               
Shaking
my head, I say, “No, we should just leave.”

               
Now
scoffing, Jeremy snorts, “Don’t be ridiculous.
 
If you want more adult pajamas, we will get them for you.
 
Come on, I am not embarrassed by that.” With
that, he grabs my hand and pulls me back through the store.

               
When
we get back to the apartment, I wash all of Jeremy’s clothes and hang them
up.
 
He told me to just throw them in the
dryer and I rolled my eyes.
 
“I am doing
the laundry from now on,” I state.
 
“You
don’t put these things in the dryer.”

               
“So,
let me get this straight, if I screw up on the chores, you will just do
them?
 
Hmm, I think I will like that,”
Jeremy teases.

               
“I
will clean up after you.
 
I don’t mind,”
I say.
 
“I am used to keeping
house,
anyway, I have to do something to repay you.”
 
I open the closet door and take out the
broom.
 
When I close it, Jeremy is
standing there.
 
He snags the broom from
me.
 
“Hey!” I exclaim.
 
“I am going to sweep.”

               
Holding
the broom away from me, Jeremy says, “You are not the maid Isabelle.
 
You do not OWE me anything.
 
I will never let you do a single chore if you
have that attitude.”

               
“This
place will become a pig sty if we live by that rule,” I state seriously.
 
“Now, give me the broom.”

               
“No,”
he states holding it even farther away.
 
I jump at it and he spins.
 
It’s a
game of keep away for about ten minutes.
 
Finally, he holds it completely above my head.
 
“I am quite a bit taller than you.
 
You are never going to get it.”

               
I
cross my arms.
 
“Then you sweep the floor.
 
It’s dirty.”

               
“Fine,”
he playfully snaps.
 
I watch him start to
sweep the floor.
 
“See, I can clean.”

               
“I
see that, very good, you get a cookie for today,” I retort.

               
He
laughs.
 
We spend the rest of the day
doing pretty much nothing.
 
There are a
few movies we watch and I make chicken parmesan for dinner.
 
It is just us and that makes me very happy.

               
The
next morning we get ready like we do every day and he takes me to school like
every week day.
 
Jeremy gives me a kiss
on the cheek, which makes me smile.
 
I
walk into school and see my….friends.
 
We
talk and so on.
 
Then while I am making
my way to my locker for lunch, I am taken off guard.
 
“What in the world are you doing here!?” I
yell in happiness.

               
Josh
gets up from leaning against my locker.
 
“I am being the dirty old guy in the high school.”

               
I
walk up to him and hug him.
 
“That’s
great, but seriously, what are you doing here?”

               
“I
had an early lunch with Kent at the restaurant and he told me to bring you
something because I said I had nothing to do,” Josh replies, he whips a bag out
from behind his back.
 
“So, here’s
lunch.”

               
“Awesome!”
I yell, snagging the bag from him.
 
“What
is it?”

               
Josh
smiles.
 
“A salad and a
bacon cheeseburger.
 
I figured French
fries would not be good reheated.
 
Where
can we eat?”

               
“Probably
outside, I don’t think you are supposed to be in the high school.
 
So, let’s go out onto the front lawn,” I say,
pointing down the hallway.